February 25, 2026

One has to hand it to HD Kumaraswamy for being frank. He has had no qualms in admitting that he is not obligated to the people of Karnataka for being the chief minister. Instead, he is obligated to the Congress party. This is what happens when a person whose party got just 18% of the popular vote and just 35 seats is pitch forked to occupy the top post. The Congress has always thrived as an assemblage of chamchas. One more has been added to the list.

A couple of days back, Kumaraswamy was talking about self-esteem and how he would quit the post if the Congress pushed him to the wall after differences rose over portfolio allocation. One doesn’t know whether he has read the definition of the hyphenated word, but by showing where his loyalties lay, he has destroyed whatever self-esteem he had. Also, he has significantly watered down his own earlier statement about resigning and it seems that the Congress will now have its way in all things.

From now on, Kumaraswamy will not be his own man. He will be a puppet chief minister installed by the Congress. The party will manipulate him to run the state and since Kumaraswamy is obligated to it, he will have to quietly play ball. The 6.5 crore people of Karnataka (minus maybe the 1.17 crore at 18% who voted for JD(S)) can yell from the rooftops that he is not their chief minister but such is the unholy reality of first-past-the-post system and post-poll alliances that they have to bear him even after the resounding slap he has given them.